I Moved Between Germany, Japan, California, And Italy
Each phase was like a piece of a puzzle contributing to the overall picture of my life. Now what?
Hello out there - in a rushed world,
Here comes your weekly permission slip to Un-rush and Slow Down.
If you enjoy reading this post from my Newsletter Un-Rush, feel free to share it with your friends and click the❤️ button, so more people can discover it on Substack. Thank you!
I Moved Between Germany, Japan, California, And Italy
Each phase was like a piece of a puzzle, contributing to the overall picture of my life
I changed my work and life trajectory several times in my life -- and each new life phase felt like a piece of puzzle finding its place in the bigger picture of who I am and how I live.
In my 20s I moved to Tokyo, in my 30s to San Francisco, and in my 40s to Italy. If just for a few years or multiple years, each of these periods in a different environment provided me with lovely people, weirdos, insights about myself, additional skills, various changes, fears, or challenges. All of this has shaped new paths in life for me.
With all the changes and unknowns, it turned out that nevertheless there was a common thread that ran through all these phases. Additionally, then all kinds of building blocks emerged from the various places and life phases, adding to the ongoing construction site called life.
The common thread included things like building friendships and finding communities; maintaining and caring for established friendships in the places I had left; no matter where, I always found my escape to nature; never living somewhere without a bicycle; I always took my yoga and meditation with me to keep me grounded.
Here is what each move changed or added to my lifestyle, life path, and mindset.
Moving to Japan – Embracing Otherness
From Germany, I moved to Tokyo, Japan and it was instant love. For some reason, I always felt attracted to Asia, perhaps because it is very different from our Western culture, which I found fascinating. And perhaps because unconsciously there was some hidden connection.
Immersing myself in the Japanese culture has brought me 3 important insights about myself.
Thinking in "as well as" terms
I have always been a person who thinks according to the “both-and” ("as-well-as") principle and felt bad about it because, in our Western society, it’s all about thinking and deciding in terms of "either-or". I believe that it’s possible to be both powerful and kind and that we can learn to hold opposites that work together and not against. Japanese culture embraces the interplay and balance of light and shadow, of calmness and energy, of strength and softness. Suddenly, I felt at home. I no longer felt strange but confirmed that my principle of both/and can also be a completely plausible approach to life.
Leave your comfort zone, the familiar, the surrounding regulars – and you might be able to allow held-back qualities to blossom.
Making with Awareness
I feel connected to the principles of Japanese traditions such as tea ceremony, martial arts, calligraphy, or sword making, which are all practices that are done with presence, care, and attention. They slow you down to take time to create, make, and move with awareness and attention. One of the basic principles of Zen philosophy is to bring the individual back to his own human core. This has become a guiding principle for me, but it’s not easy. I practiced martial arts all my life and am fascinated with the power of consciousness that lies in the blending of overall calmness and precise speed.
Uncluttered Simplicity
There is simplicity and minimalism in Japanese design, especially in traditional culture, whether it’s interior design, architecture, food, fashion, or products that I adore. The uncluttered simplicity and clean, reduced style seem to go very well with my nature in general and being an introvert in particular. Turns out that introverts need an organized, uncluttered surrounding to better focus.
I kept taking this sense of simplicity with me around the world, and it became part of my lifestyle because it always gives me a feeling of relaxation, calmness, and clarity.
Here is my question to YOU: What culture do you feel attracted to and why?
Does the fact that you feel comfortable in a certain country/culture give you a hint on why you feel and think in a certain way about yourself?
Moving to San Francisco – Finding Freedom and Love
That sounds pretty kitsch, finding freedom and love, doesn’t it? LOL. Especially considering that we are talking San Francisco, way past the flowers-in-your-hair times.
The familiarity of Germany was getting boring and the unknown of a new place seemed way more intriguing, so I headed to San Francisco. And happen to find more freedom of work and the love of my life. Not too bad for a jump into the unknown.
I found freedom in a new way of working. Not being in an employed structure of long-hour days in advertising agencies in Germany anymore (which I did after I left Japan) I was now working with a good friend from California on growing a business she had already started, importing Asian Antiques. Back to my love of Asia and Japanese culture felt like a good starting point. I added my love of writing and passion for inspiring people to become aware of the things that are important to them in life.
I found my future husband in our local neighborhood café, and we figured pretty quickly that we belonged together. Fortunately, this wonderful human being is a world traveler and feels more at home in Europe than in his native California. Which has paved the way for the next move, fourteen years later, to South Tyrol, Italy.
So, my Life Container that was moving around the world was filling up with principles of Japanese philosophy, my belief in the power of awareness, precious friendships, a marriage, new skills in building communities, no typical corporate America career, and a growing realization that I can trust my intuition more.
Moving to South Tyrol, Italy – Merging lifestyles
Moving to South Tyrol seems like a symbol of our blended lifestyles and embracing of otherness.
This autonomous region in the very north of Italy is a mix of the best of two worlds, the German industriousness and orderliness with the Italian la dolce vita. It is part of Italy (since 1919), but it kept its long history of German Austrian culture (since 1363, part of the Habsburg empire). The first language is German, and so are their cultural festivals, traditions, and names. Blend the Austrian cuisine with the Italian, add some Italian language here and there, embrace the Italian espresso and incredible wine, and come out with a lifestyle where people here are reliable and relaxed at the same time.
We feel like a hybrid in a hybrid province of Italy. A German and American native in a German-Italian-Ladin (yes, Ladin, not Latin) province that is considered as a bridge between its cultural contrasts. Between established traditions and contemporary trends. Between deep roots and new identities. Just like our identities evolved and our roots grounded us. This region tries to bring together different perspectives of life that should ignite creative and holistic ideas for work and life. This reflects our efforts to inspire people through writing and events to find new ways of looking at life.
Opposites, it turns out, make for an enriched and holistic approach to life and work.
Now what?
Let’s see what comes next. For now, I am working on the challenge of combining all the different pieces of the puzzle of life paths into my work and business to create a growing holistic picture. All these experiences, lessons, failures, principles and philosophies of life should complement each other in the growing web of life and work. I am working on it.
Have you been moving through different cultures, countries, philosophies, and life forming paths? I’d be curious to meet you and hear about it in the comments.